Bottle filling machinery



g- 20, 1940- G. J. VALAVAN 2,212,410

BOTTLE FILLING MACHINERY Filed Dec. 5, 1958 2 Shets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. fieoryej l a/a (raw.

ATTORNEY.

Aug. 20, 1940. a. J, VALAVAN BOTTLE FILLING MACHINERY Filed Dec. 3, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

Georyg/ Patented Aug. 20, 1 940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE George J. Valavan,

Mount Vernon, N. Y.

Application December 3, 1938, Serial No. 243,761

7 Claims.

This invention relates to bottle filling machinery, and is particularly directed to a filling machine valve to control the filling of bottles with carbonated beverages and beer.

Heretofore in filling machinery for filling filling the bottle, means being provided to release the air inthe bottle asthe bottle is being filled. ,By releasing the air from the bottle. as it is being filled, the filling operation is faster than in prior machines, in which the air is not re leased from the bottle as the same is being filled.

In prior machines, the filling Valve comprised a long tube which was received into the bottle, a valve being also provided to close the bottom end of the .tube when the bottle was filled. As

" the bottle was lowered off the tube, the space occupied by the tube prevented the bottle from being'filled up sufficiently. It is therefore an object of this invention to provide means to fill the bottle to make up for the displacement of the tube as the bottle is lowered after filling.

In prior machines of the character described, there was provided an elongated tube which passed downwardly into the bottle, and through the tube there extended an elongated, central, axial stem, carrying apear shaped valve at its lower end, to close the lower end of the tube. With such construction, should the tube break it could not beeasily taken off the pear valve. Furthermore, since the valve closed at the bottom of the tube, which is located at the bottom of the bottle, during the filling operation, con-- I siderable foam is caused'within the bottle.

In accordance. with the present invention, the tube projects into the bottle but the pearshaped valve is above the upper end of the tube and not within the bottle, thus causing less foaming because the valve is not shut within the bottle. Furthermore, with my improved construction, should the tube break it could easily be removed and replaced. Furthermore, the seat for the pear valve being remote from the lower end of the tube is well protected and cannot be damaged by glass should the bottle break.

In prior machines, since the pear valve was at the bottom end of the tube, the seat for the pear valve has often been damaged and cut by glass upon a bottle breaking. With my improved construction, furthermore, the stem for the pear Valve is considerably reduced in length, and is hence, more rigid and durable.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide in apparatus of the character described, a pressure relief valve to release the pressure of the air within the bottle during the filling'operation, spring means being provided to retain the pear valve closed when the pressure relief Valve is open, said spring means being adjustable to accommodate the pressure in the beverage supply tank.

Still another object of this invention to provide a strong, rugged and durable machine of the character described, which shall be inexpensive to manufacture, smooth and positive in operation, and efiicient to a high degree in use.

Other objects of thisinvention will in part be obvious and in part hereinafter pointed out.

The invention accordingly consists inv the features of construction, combinations .of ele ments, and arrangement of. parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter described, and of which thescope of application will be indicated in the following claims.

'. In the accompanying drawings, in which is shown one of the various possible illustrative embodiments of this invention,

Fig. 1 is a side elevational View of part of. a bottle filling machine provided with filling mech-' anism, embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of the improved filling valve with parts broken away and in crosssection;

Fig.3 is a sideelevational View of the structure shown in Fig. 2;, and t Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional View taken on line 44 of Fig. 1.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, l0 designates a bottle filling machineembodying the invention. The same may comprise a usual circular tank II for carbonated beverage or beer under pressure. The tank ll may be closed'at the top by a cover it. Air under pressure is fed tothe tank ll through a pipe it, usually designated the counter pressure.

Extending into the tank ll is-my filling valve. l5. The same comprises a member I5 projecting into an opening l! in the bottom wall l8 of the tank II. A rubber gasket 19 maybe provided to. seal the connection between the member [6 and the tank I I. v

a central through opening 2!, and a downwardly skirted portion 22, forming a chamber 23 on the underside thereof. The top wall 2% is formed with a passage 24, communicating with chamber 23. Attached to the top wall 20 is a spring pressed relief valve 25 adapted to open the passage 24 and chamber 23 to the atmosphere, when said valve is being pushed open in the manner hereinafter described. Said top wall 2' is furthermore formed with a radial nipple 25, and an L-shaped opening 2'1, connecting the nipple with the top of said wall 2%.

Member I5 is furthermore formed with a pair of upwardly extending parallel sockets lfia, projecting into the beverage tank H, and with inclined passages lfib, connecting the socket lfia with the chamber 23.

Attached to the skirted portion 22 of member It by a coupling 29, is a tubular member 38 having an externally screw threaded portion M at its lower end. Screwed to said screw threaded portion 3i is a member 32, having a socket to receive said portion 3i, and having a bottom wall 33 formed with a central through opening 3d. The upper surface of said bottom wall 33 forms a valve seat, for the purpose hereinafter appear- The under-surfaces of the bottom wall 33 may be countersunk to receive a rubber washer 36, held on said member by a coupling 3?. Member 32 is formed with a radial nipple 38 and with a passage 39 passing through the nipple and extending to the upper surface of the bottom wall 33.

Extending through the central opening 3E in member 32, is a tubular member 42, and fixed to the upper end of the tubular member 42 is a valve 43 adapted to be seated on the valve seat 33. A coil compression spring 44 isinterposed between the valve 43 and the underside of the top wall 26 of member NS, for normally retaining the valve 43 seated on its valve seat, to close the passage 39.

Mounted on the member 20 is a tubular member '15, extending through the opening 21* in the top wall 20. The member i5 is formed with a downwardly projecting internally screw threaded tubular portion 50. The top of member' ifi is open, and is closed by a cap 5! having a central beveled opening 52, forming a valve seat, as will appear hereinafter. The upper portion of tubular member 45 is connected to the L-shaped passage 2'! by a tube 53.

Screwed to the screw threaded tubular portion 56 is an elongated tube 56, passing through the tubular member 42, and adapted to project into the bottle 51 to be filled. Screwed to the lower end of tube 56 is a cap 58 formed with a plurality of perforations 59, forthe purpose hereinafter appearing.

Slidably mounted on the tube 56 is a bell, 60, having a downwardly and outwardly flaring portion 6! at its lower end, and a central opening 62, to receive the tube 56. At the upper end of the flaring portion BI is a rubber gasket 66, adapted to contact the top of the bottle. As the bell moves upwardly, it contactsthe lower end 7 of tube 42, to raise the valve 43 and uncover the passage 39, for the purpose hereinafter appearing.

Mounted in the sockets 16a and disposed within the beverage tank H, are vertical tubular members is carrying a diaphragm housing 1| at its upper end. The tubular members 10 are connected by passages 12 to a chamber 13 above the whereby the underside of the diaphragmv 14 is open to the pressure within the tank ll. Attached to the center of the middle of the diaphragm, is a stem 19 passing through the opening J6 in the U-shaped strap 15.

Screwed to the bottom of the stem 19 is a rod 89, having a pear shaped valve 8| at its lower end, disposed within the tubular member 45 and adapted to be seated on the beveled valve seat 52 in. thecap ill. The rod 8i? is screw threaded at its upper end, and screwed thereon is a collar 84. Interposed between the collar M and the strap 15 is a coil compression spring 81, normally pressing the stem l9 downwardly. I

The spring at normally does not exert sufficient force to keep the valve 81 open when the pressure above the diaphragm is reduced, that is, the pressure within the supply tank I I is' sufficient to raise the diaphragm against the spring pressure iii, to close the pear shaped valve 8 i, when the pressure above the diaphragm in the chamber l3, and in the'tubes l0 and/chamber 23 is reduced.

Attached to the nipple 26 is a pipe 90 connected to a usual counter pressure air supply pipe 9!. interposed in the pipe SE is a check valve 92, permitting the air to pass through the pipe 90 to the nipple 2B. In pipe 90 there is also a band controlled valve as. Connected to the nipple38 is a pipe st, likewise connected to the pipe 9|, t receive a supply of air under pressure. I

It will be understood that the tank H is annular and rotates about the axis of the machine. The tank is provided with a number of filling valves is, and usual means is provided for moving the bottles 5 upwardly for the filling operation and for lowering the bottles after they have been filled. 4

Normally the pressure from pipe l3 entering tank it which contains carbonated beverage lifts the diaphragm ld upwardly to close the pear shaped valve 8 i against the valve seat 52. the bottle is down, the bell 69 is likewise down, and hangs on the member 58. When the bell is down, the tube 42 is also down, and the spring When Ml closes the valve :33. At the same time pressure 1 bottle. The bell engages the bottom end of the When the bottle comes tube 42 to lift the valve 33 against the pressure of spring M. Air pressure from pipe- 96 then enters passage as and chamber '23, passing through passages 56b, upwardlythrough pipe"!!! and passage '52 to the chamber '33, above the diaphragm TM. The pressure in chamber 13 causes the diaphragm to be pushed downwardly to open the valve 8! and permit carbonated beverageto' pass from tank l I, through valve opening 52 into tube 45, and through tube 56 and the openings 59, to spray against the inside of the bottle.

As the machine revolves, the spring pressed valve it strikes angular spaced abutments 00,120

tube 56.

openthe pressure relief 'valve and permit the airwithin the bottle to pass upwardly between the tube 56 and the bell 60, and also between said tube 58.- and the tube 42, upwardly through the chamber 23, passage. 24, and out to the atmosphere. I

' It will be noted that the tube 56 is spaced and concentric .With the tube 42 and the bell 6D to permit the air in the bottle to escape when the valve 25 is opened momentarily when the machine rotates. The periodic relief of the air permits the bottle to fill faster and reduces the resistance to filling, whereby less pressure is needed in the beverage supply tank H.

The valve 25 is only opened for very short intervals. While it is open, the pressure in chamber 23, and hence, in passage 16b, tube 12 and chamber F3 is also reduced. However, the spring 81keeps the pear valve open for the short interval during which the valve 25 is open, until the pressure in the chamber l3 builds up again upon valve 25 closing. After the bottle is filled, it comes down, valve, 43 closes 'to shut off the supply of air under pressure to the chamber 23.

It will be noted that the pear valve 8! is remote from the bottom end of the tube. Since the closing of the valve is not at the bottom of the tube, less agitation results when the valve is closed. Furthermore, the valve 8| and the valve seat 52 areprotected and cannot be damaged or cut by glass should a bottle break. If the tube 55 breaks, the'remaining stem can be readily unscrewed and a new tube screwed into place.

When the bottle is lowered and valve as is closed,.the pressure. in chamber is is reduced so that the pressure in the supply tank is suiiicient to. raise and close the pear valve M. As the bottle lowers, the space which was occupied by the tube is filled by the beverage within the tube 56 and within the tube 45. The pressure from pipe 94] causing the beverage within the tubes 56 and 55 to be forced downwardly into the bottle to fill the bottle.

1 In prior apparatus, where the valve was at the bottom of the tube, lifting of the tube prevented the bottle from being completely filled. In prior constructions, furthermore, the stem or rod for the pear valve 8! passed entirely through the With the present construction, the length of the stem for the pear valve is considerably reduced.

,.It will thus be seen that there is provided a devicein which the several objects of this invention are achieved, and which is well adapted to;

meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter a valve opening adjacent the bottom thereof, an

elongated tube mounted on :said tank and extending downwardly therefrom, the upper end of said tube communicating with the valve opening, 'said' tube being adapted to be received in a bottle, a valve for closing said opening, means controlled by pressure in said tank for closing said valve and for opening said valve to permit beverage in said tank to pass down through said valve opening into said tube for filling the bottle, and conduit means'for connecting the upper end of said tube, just below saidvalve opening, with a source of air pressure to force beverage in said tube down into the bottle, upon closing the valve.

2. In a bottle filling machine, a supply tank for carbonated beverage, a tubular member on said means against the pressure within the supplyv tank, to permit "carbonated beverage from the supply tank to pass through the valve opening and into the bottle, and conduit means to connect the upper end of the tube, below said valve opening, with a pressure supply for forcing beverage within the tube, afterthe valve means is closed, down into the bottle as the bottle is lowered.

3. In a bottle filling machine, a supply tank for carbonated beverage, a tubular member on said supply tank and extending downwardly therefrom, and adapted to be received in a bottle as the bottle is lifted upwardly, said tank having a valve opening communicating with said tube, and disposed at the upper end of thetube, valve means adapted to close said valve opening, means controlledby pressure in said tank for closing-said valve means and for opening said valve means against the pressure within the supply tank, to

' permit carbonated beverage from the supply tank to pass through the valve opening and into the bottle, means whereby pressure may be applied for forcing beverage within the tube, after the valve means is closed, down into the bottle as the bottle is lowered, and means for periodically releasing air from the bottle during the filling operation.

4. Ina bottle filling machine, a supply tank for carbonated beverage under pressure,said tank having avalve opening at the bottom thereof, a tube extending downwardly from the tank and communicating with said valve opening, a hous- .ing surrounding the upper end of the tube forming a chamber and provided with a bottom wall having an opening through which said tube passes, and with an inlet passage communicating with said chamber, means for supplying air under pressure to said passage, a chamber within said supply tank closed by a diaphragm, conduit means interconnecting the first I chamber. with the second chamber, a rod fixed to said diaphragm and provided with a valve at its lower end adapted to close said valve opening, when the pressure in the supply tank is greater than the pressure within said chambers, a second valve Within said first chamber adapted to close said inlet passage, springmeans for normally presssaid second valve in position for closing said passage, a sleeve surrounding said tube and fixed at its upper end to said valve and passing through the opening in the bottom wall of said housing and adapted to be lifted by a bottle as the latter is moved upwardly to filling position, to uncover said passage, to permit air under pressure to pass 'ing said second valve downwardly for retaining to thefirst chamber andthrough said conduit 2 to said second chamber to open said first valve and permit beverage to pass down through the tube into the bottle, and means for supplying 1 end of the tube forming a chamberand provided With a bottom wall having an opening through which said tube passes, and with an inlet passage communicating with said chamber, means for supplying air under pressure to said passage, a chamber within said supply tank closed by a diaphragm, conduit means interconnecting the first chamber with the second chamber, a rod .fixed to said diaphragm and provided with a valve at its lower end adapted to close said valve opening, when the pressure in'the supply tank is greater than the pressure within said chambers, a second valve within said first chamber adapted to close said inlet passage, spring means for normally pressing said second valve downwardly for retaining said second valve in position for closing said passage, a sleeve surrounding said tube and fixed at its upper end to said valve and passing through the opening in the bottom wall of said housing and adapted to be lifted by a bottle as the latter is moved'upwardly to filling position, to uncover said passage, to permit air under pressure to pass to the first chamber and through said conduit to said second chamber to open said first valve and permit beverage to pass down through the tube into the bottle, means for supplying air under pressure to the upper end of said tube, said sleeve being spaced from said tube, to permit air in the bottle to pass up to the first chamber, a spring pressed relief valve on said first chamber, and means for periodically opening said last valve during the filling operation to release the air from the bottle as it is being filled.

6. In a bottle filling machine, a supply tank for carbonated beverage under pressure, said tank having a valve opening at the bottom there-' interconnecting the first chamber with the secnd chamber, a rod fixed to said diaphragm and provided with a valve at its lower end adapted to close said valve opening, when the-pressure in the supply tank is greater than the pressure within said chambers, a second valve within said first chamber adapted to close said inlet passage, spring means for normally pressing said second; valve downwardly for retaining said second valve in position for closing said passage, a sleeve surrounding said tube and fixed at its upper end to said valve and passing through the opening in the bottom wall of said housing and adapted to be lifted by a bottle as the latter is moved up wardly to filling position, to uncover said passage, to permit air under pressure to pass to the first chamber and through said conduit to saidsec- 0nd chamber to open said first valve and permit beverage to pass down through the tube into the bottle, said sleeve being spaced from said tube, to permit air in the bottle to pass up to the first chamber, a spring pressed relief valve onlsaidfirst chamber, means for periodically opening said last valve during the filling operation to release the air from the bottle as it is being filled, spring means for urging said rod in a direction for opening the valve thereon, and means to adjust said spring means.

7. In bottle filling machineryof the character described, a beverage tank, said tank having a valve opening adjacent the bottom thereof, an elongated tube attached to said tank and extending downwardly therefrom, the upper end of said tube communicating with saidvalve opening, said tube being adapted to be received in a bottle to be filled, a chamber closed by'a diaphragm separating said, chamber from said-tank, a valve for closing said valve opening attached to said diaphragm, said diaphragm being controlled by pressure in said tank to close said valve, and by pressure in said chamber for opening said, valve to permit beverage in said tank to pass down through said valve opening into said tube for filling said bottle, a housing surrounding the upper end of the tube, forming a chamber pro vided with a bottom Wall, having an opening her having an inlet passage, a valve for closing second chamber With the first chamber, a bell v said inlet passage, a conduit interconnecting the I I slidably mounted on said tube and adapted to be lifted by a bottle to be filled, said bell having means to open the valve which closes the inlet passage to the second chamber, said second chamber being provided with a spring pressed normally closed valve, and means for periodically opening said valve.

GEORGE J. VALAVAN. j 

